Card game

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a card game between a banker and players includes a standard deck of 53 cards having the standard four suits and a Joker. After each player places a bet, the dealer deals a hand of four cards to each player and the banker. Each of the hands are set into a two card top hand and a two card bottom hand. The hands are ranked with paired sets higher than unpaired sets. The banker has a copy win advantage so that the banker wins if the cards are the same ignoring suit. The ranking of paired sets is in the following order from highest to lowest: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of card games.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Le in U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,795 issued Oct. 24, 2004 for Method of Playing Wagering Game provides for a modified game of Pai Gow, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Le in the background of the invention states that Pai Gow is a poker like game where each player is dealt seven cards and the cards are then set by the player into a two card front hand and a five card back hand which are both compared to determine the winner. Le uses a seven card deal with a two card front hand and a five card back hand.

Feloa in U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,220 issued Sep. 21, 2004 for Pai Gow Poker Type Card Game Of Chance With Bonuses on Partial Hands, provides for a bonus outcome, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Feloa provides a bonus based on a three card bonus and a five card bonus.

Boylan in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,041 issued Jan. 26, 1999 for Pai Gow Poker with Auxiliary Game provides for a bonus outcome, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Boylan makes the bonus participatory and a bonus game is actually played for the bonus outcome.

In addition to modified versions of Pai Gow, there are also modified versions of Super Pan 9 and Pan 9 as described by Artle in U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,071 issued Jan. 28, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Artie provides for a special rule hand to make things more interesting.

Lo in U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,043 issued Jan. 26, 1999 for a Card Game, also provides for a special rule hand which is the four of a kind, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Lo makes the four of a kind the high hand. Otherwise, Lo also provides for a Pai Gow style split hand but having a three card high hand and a two card low hand.

Many of the games related to poker, Pai Gow and Pan 9 have myriad nonobvious variations cited in the patent literature, or mentioned in other publications. What is needed is a game that is relatively easy to learn and comprehend, while maintaining a fair balance between the participants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of playing a card game between a banker and players includes a standard deck of 53 cards having the standard four suits and a Joker. After each player places a bet, the dealer deals a hand of four cards to each player and the banker. Each of the hands are set into a two card top hand and a two card bottom hand. The hands are ranked with paired sets higher than unpaired sets. The banker has a copy win advantage so that the banker wins if the cards are the same ignoring suit. The ranking of paired sets is in the following order from highest to lowest: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2.

Unpaired sets are ranked according to a point value, so that the K, Q, J, T has a point value of zero and the Ace has a point value of one. A kicker value is assigned to rank sets having equivalent point values so that cards that have a zero point value have a kicker value wherein the kicker value is ranked in the following order from highest to lowest: A, K, Q, J, T. The top set of each player is compared to the top set of the banker and the bottom set of each player is compared to the bottom set of the banker. A winner of the top set, or a push of the top set is determined and a winner of the bottom set, or a push of the bottom set is determined. A winner of the hand is determined as between the player and the banker by comparing the number of sets won between the player and the banker. The player wins if the player wins more sets than the banker, and the banker wins if the banker wins more sets than the player, but the player and banker tie if the player and banker win the same number of sets. Bets are settled between the banker and the player after determining the winner of the hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bonus bet pay out chart.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the main steps of general play.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention game is played using a standard 53 card deck. All 53 cards in the deck will be used including the one Joker and 52 cards of the four suits. The game begins first by the dealer dealing the cards into 8 hands with 4 cards in each hand, and then leaving the remaining cards from the deck on the side. If a machine is used to shuffle the cards, the dealer will deliver every hand, containing 4 cards each, to the respective seats determined by the number on a die or dice that were shaken by a player or banker, or by simply delivering the cards in order from left to right if die or dice were not used to determine where the action starts. If a shoe is used, up to eight decks of cards can be shuffled together, with 8 Jokers in the shoe so that the dealer can deliver the cards to the players.

The four cards are split into two sets, namely a high set and a low set. Two cards are set high and two cards are set low for a split hand. The high set is on the bottom and the low set is on the top. The object of the game is to beat the opponent's hand both on top and the bottom. All Players' hands will be playing against the Player/Banker's hand. If the Player's hand beats the Player/Banker's hand on top but loses on the bottom, it will be considered as a push or tie. The same rule applies the other way around if the Player's hand beats the Player/Banker's hand on the bottom but loses on the top, it will be considered as a push or tie. Players set their cards to make sure that the two cards on top will always have a lower ranking or value than the two cards on the bottom. Otherwise, it will be considered a “Foul Hand”, or alternatively the lower ranking value can be deemed to be the top pair or the high pair which are the ones that are closer to the dealer and further away from the player. The lower-ranked pair should be on top and the higher ranked pair should be on the bottom.

After receiving their cards, players will first look for pairs. If the four cards form into two pairs, then as a matter of general strategy, the small pair will be set on top and the bigger pair will be set on the bottom. If only one pair can be formed, then as a matter of general strategy the pair will be put on the bottom, and the remaining two non-paired cards will be set on top. The two non-paired cards on top will have their points added together to determine their value with 9 being the highest and 0 as the lowest. In a situation when all four cards cannot make any pair, the player must decide which two cards will be put together as the top hand and which two will be set as the bottom hand.

The Rankings System:

As used herein, the following abbreviations apply where A stands for Ace, K stands for King, Q stands for Queen, J stands for Jack, and T stands for 10. A dash between letters and digits stands for a set of two cards. See FIG. 2.

Pairs are ranked higher than non pairs. Higher pairs are ranked higher than lower ones.

The order of pairs from highest to lowest is A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2. A-A is the supreme pair which is the highest pair.

Unpaired cards have their points added together to determine their values with 9 being the highest and 0 being the lowest. K-Q-J-T are considered as 0 when being placed with another card to determine their values. For example, K-8 will have a value of 8 and J-7 will have a value of 7. Ace has a value of one. If the total exceeds nine, the point value remains within the range of zero to nine by assigning the least significant digit as the point value. Thus, a 3-2 will push with a 8-7 because both have a point value of five, however the eight kicker will prevail over the three kicker.

Kickers will also play in combinations of unpaired cards to determine a tiebreak in case the values of the points are the same. Thus, a K-9 will beat a Q-9. An A-7 wins against J-8, although both hands have the eight same point value, but A-7 would win because the Ace kicker is higher than the J kicker. However, a K-8 loses to a 5-4 since the 5-4 has a nine point value but the K-8 only has an eight point value. The kicker is the higher card in the hand and the kicker counts from Ace through 3 with the 2 left out because it is the lowest card and therefore could not be used as the kicker.

Optionally, the kicker can be only considered for a portion of the range of the cards such as cards A, K, Q, J or the entire range of A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. When the kicker is only considered for portion of the range of the cards, there is a possibility of a tie on a set. If there is a tie on one set and not a tie on the other set, a half bet outcome can be assigned. The best mode of the present invention is to have the kicker considered for the full range of the cards.

If the player banker copies the hand, the player banker wins. Copy is defined as having the exact same cards of any suit. The player banker therefore has a copy hand win advantage. For example, if a player has a Q-8 and J-J and the banker has Q-8 and 9-9, the result would be a tie also called a push. In this situation, although the Banker's bottom hand (pair of 9's) loses to Player's bottom hand (pair of Jacks) both Player and Banker's hands copied on top and Banker wins in all copied scenarios, so situation will be considered as a push. In a second example of the copy hand advantage, a banker has a K-9 and Q-Q; and a player has a K-9 and A-8. In this situation, it will be considered as a “WIN” for the Banker's hand since it beats the Player's hand on top because they both copied and the pair of Q's on the bottom also beats the A-8. In a third example of the copy hand advantage, a banker has 4-3 and Q-9; and a player has a 5-2 and K-9. The player would win the bottom hand because the banker does not have copy hand win advantage when the cards are not the same of any suit and the K kicker is higher than the Q kicker. The player would win on the top hand since both point totals are seven but the player has a higher kicker of 5 which is higher than 4.

Jokers are wild. Wild means that the Joker can be used as any other card in the deck. This means that the Joker can save a weak hand or make a strong hand even more powerful. In a first example of the Joker wild rule, a player receives a 10, Jack, Queen, and Joker. The player can set the hand with Jack-Ten on top for a 0 point top and Joker-Queen on the bottom, making a pair of Queens. It is unlikely that zero on top will beat anyone with the Jack Kicker, but a pair of Queens on the bottom cannot be beat easily either. In the second example of the Joker wild rule, a player is dealt 9, Ace, Ace, Joker. This should be set as pair of 9's and pair of Aces which would be a very strong hand, also called a ‘monster hand’ that is highly favorable for a win.

General Strategy

The following examples will provide additional detail regarding the general strategy of the game. When a hand contains a Joker with 3 non-paired cards, the combination of the two non-paired cards with the highest value should be put on top and the remaining non-paired card should be put on the bottom with the Joker, making it a pair. In a first Joker with 3 non-paired cards example, a player receives 6, 9, J, Joker. The player would play J-9 on top and 6-Joker on the bottom, making it 9 and a pair of 6's. In a second Joker with 3 non-paired cards example, a player receives 3, 4, K, Joker. The player would play 3-4 on top with K-Joker on the bottom, making it 7 and a pair of Kings.

When a hand contains a Joker with a pair, if the non-paired card is higher than the paired cards, a player would put the pair on top and the non-paired card with the Joker on the bottom. In a first example regarding a Joker with a pair, a player receives 5, 5, 9, Joker. The player would play 5-5 on top and 9-Joker on the bottom, making it pair of 5's and pair of 9's. In a second example involving a Joker with a pair, the player receives 3, 3, Q, Joker. The player would play 3-3 on top and Q-Joker on the bottom.

When the non-paired card is smaller than the paired cards, the non-paired card will be put on top with the Joker and the pair on the bottom. For example, if a player receives J, J, 9, Joker, the player will play 9 with Joker on top, making it pair of 9's and pair of Jacks on the bottom. For example, if a player receives 4, 4, 2, Joker, the player would play Deuce and Joker on top as pair of Deuces with pair of 4's on the bottom.

Sometimes it is best to split a pair, but only the player has the option of splitting a pair. For example, if a player receives 3, 3, 5, 6 the player could set 6-5 on top with a low value of 1 and 3-3 on the bottom. The player can also split up the 3's by setting 5-3 on top and 6-3 on the bottom, making it 8 point top and 9 point bottom. Sometimes it would not be best to split a pair. If a player received 8, 4, 9, 9, this hand should be set with 8-4 on top with a point value of 2 and 9-9 on the bottom. In this case, it could be strategically better to play the hand than to split up the 9's and play it as 3 point top and 7 point bottom.

There are some possible exceptions to the above general rules with 8's and 9's with the non-paired cards when paired with 10, J, Q, or K. Instead of playing zero with a pair of 8's or 9's, players could split up the pairs playing it 8/8 or 9/9. This could dramatically increase the chance of winning because playing zero and pair is far more likely to push and lose than win. On the other hand, if the player is feeling defensive, the player can play a pair on the bottom with a low point value on top to try for a push.

If a hand is dealt with four non-pair cards the player tries to obtain higher point values on both the top and the bottom. For example, a hand containing 2, 5, 6, 9 would be played as 5/7 which is five points on top and seven points on the bottom, as 6-9 on top and 2-5 on the bottom. Distributing the points in this manner will help make the hand more balanced. In a second example, a player receives 7, 8, 10, K so the player should set the hand with K-7 on top and 10-8 on the bottom so as to give the 7 a higher kicker.

If a hand contains a Three-of-a-kind and another random card, two cards from the Three-of-a-kind should be put on the bottom, and the remaining two cards put on top, even if one of the cards is a Joker. In the first example, the player receives 4, 4, 4, Joker and should set Joker-4 on top and 4-4 on the bottom. In a second example, the player receives 5, 5, 5, 2, so the player should put 5-5 on the bottom, making a pair of 5's and 5-2 to make 7 on top.

If the hand contains Four-of-a-kind, they should be broken up into two pairs with one pair on top and another on the bottom.

Special Options

After receiving the hand and the cards, but before the player sees the banker cards, the player can elect either a first option of surrendering, or a second option of card exchange. The options would be mutually exclusive.

The first option is to surrender. Players will have the chance to surrender half of the original bet to the player banker prior to the dealer opening the hand. When surrendered, each wager will receive half of its original bet back. This option ought to be considered when a player holds a hand that is so bad which they believe the chance of pushing is rather slim, whereas the probability of losing the hand is far more greater. An example of a hand that would make a good candidate for the surrender option would be 10, Q, 2, 3. For example, if the original bet was $100, surrendering would receive $50 back. If the original bet was $75, a player would receive $38 back.

The second option for the player would be a card exchange option. With four cards in their hands, each player will have the option to exchange one of their cards with the dealer for another card. This creates some interesting strategy. It would be logical to exchange the one card that they believe to be the least useful to them. For example, if the player receives 3, 4, 6, Jack. In this case, 3 and 6 makes 9, so they would want to keep that. Between 4 and Jack, the player will have to choose which card they want to keep and which card they will exchange. If the player received 3, 3, Q, Q there would be no need for the player to exchange his cards, since an exchange would only weaken the hand. If a player received Ace, 8, 10, 10 the player already has a value of 9 on top with an Ace kicker and a pair of 10's so strategically, it would be better to keep the hand as it is than to exchange any of the cards. By exchanging the Ace, the best card the player could hope for would be another 8, and by exchanging the 8, the only card player could hope for would be another Ace. These are the only two scenarios that would help improve the hand and the rest would only weaken it. The discarded card is out of play.

Every time a hand is played, each player will have the above two options available for them to consider but only one can be exercised.

Optionally, a Bonus Bet Option can be offered to the players. This is a bonus bet which players must place at the same time they place their main wager and prior to receiving their cards. The bonus bet pay out could be according to the following example payout chart of FIG. 1.

Procedure For Dealers Setting The Banker's Hand

Step 1: Place 2 cards on top and 2 cards on the bottom.

Step 2: The cards will be set closely to each other.

Step 3: The “Kicker” will be set to the left.

Step 4: After setting the hand, Dealer will announce the value of the hand, signaling this is the way the hand will be played.

House Way Rules

The following house way rules can be adopted as a guideline for House Way means, according to which the banker shall play.

1). If a hand is dealt with two pairs, the smaller pair with the lower ranking will be put on top and the bigger pair with the higher ranking will be put on the bottom.

Example #1: 3-3-7-7.

-   -   Pair of 3's on top and pair of 7's on the bottom.

Example #2: 8-8-Q-Q.

-   -   Pair of 8's on top and pair of Q's on the bottom.

With Four-of-a-kind, they will automatically be broken up into two pairs with one pair on top and another on the bottom. The banker never splits pairs.

2). If a hand contains a pair and 2 non-paired cards, the pair will be put on the bottom and the 2 non-paired cards will be placed together on top. Pairs are never split under the House-way rules.

Example #1: 3-J-J-9.

-   -   9-3 will be set as the top hand with pair of J's on the bottom.

Example #2: 6-8-8-4.

-   -   6-4 will be set as the top hand and 8-8 will be on the bottom.

3). If a hand contains 4 non-paired cards, distribute the points so that the top hand would have a value closest to the bottom hand, while at the same time keeping the top hand as strong as possible.

Example #1: A-2-8-9

Different ways to play the hand:

Top hand: 9-2 8-2 A-2 Bottom hand: A-8 A-9 9-8 Values: 1/9 0/0 3/7 *3/7 Would be the House-way to play this hand.

Example #2: 3-4-6-K

Different ways to play the hand:

Top hand: K-6 K-4 6-4 Bottom hand: 4-3 6-3 K-3 Values: 6/7 4/9 0/3 *6/7 would be the House-way to play this hand.

Example #3: 7-8-Ten-K.

Different ways to play the hand:

Top hand: K-Ten Ten-7 K-7 Bottom hand: 8-7 K-8 10-8 Values: 0/5 7/8 7/8 *This hand will be set with K-7 on top and 10-8 on the bottom. The 7 receives a higher kicker to increase the odds of winning on the top hand.

4). House Way Rules regarding jokers.

4A). If a hand has a Joker with 3 non-paired cards, the combination of the two non-paired cards with the highest value will be put on top and the remaining non-paired card will be put on the bottom with the Joker, making it a pair.

Example #1: 6-9-J-Joker.

-   -   Play J-9 on top and 6 with Joker on the bottom, making it 9 and         a pair of 6's.

Example #2: 3-4-K-Joker.

-   -   Play 4-3 on top with K and Joker on the bottom, making it 7 and         a pair of Kings.         Exception to subrule 4A:

Example: 10-Jack-Queen-Joker.

-   -   In this situation, 10, Jack and Queen all have the same value of         0 but Queen has a higher ranking. House-way would set Queen and         Joker together as the bottom hand, making it pair of Queens.         Jack-10 will be set as the top hand.

4B). In the situation when a hand contains a Joker with a pair. If the non-paired card is higher than the paired cards, put the pair on top and the non-paired card with the Joker on the bottom.

Example #1: 5-5-9-Joker.

-   -   Play 5-5 on top and 9 with Joker on the bottom, making it pair         of 5's and pair of 9's.

Example #2: 3-3-Q-Joker.

-   -   Play pair of 3's on top and Q with Joker on the bottom.

4C). In the situation when the non-paired card is smaller than the paired cards, the non-paired card will be put on top with the Joker and the pair will be put on the bottom.

Example #1: J-J-9-Joker.

-   -   Play 9 with Joker on top, making it pair of 9's and pair of         Jacks on the bottom.

Example #2: 4-4-2-Joker.

-   -   Deuce and Joker will be put on top as pair of Deuces with pair         of 4's on the bottom.

5). In the situation when a hand contains a Three-of-a-kind and another random card, two cards from the Three-of-a-kind will be automatically put on the bottom, and the remaining two cards will be put on top, even if that random card is a Joker.

Example #1: 4, 4, 4, Joker.

-   -   In this case, Joker-4 will be set on top and 4-4 will be set on         the bottom.

Example #2: 5, 5, 5, 2.

-   -   Automatically, 5-5 will be put on the bottom, making a pair of         5's and 5-2 will make 7 on top.

The foregoing describes the preferred embodiments of the invention. Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. For example, the above described method of play is according to California rules where the dealer would not be the player banker. The Nevada method of play would encompass a situation where the dealer could be the player banker.

Another modification could be to deal six cards for three pairs of cards, three sets and then have the winner determined by the best of three sets rather than the best of two sets. In the six card version, having three sets would eliminate the possibility of a push or tie game. Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims. 

1. A method of playing a card game between a banker and a plurality of players comprising the steps of: a. shuffling one or more standard decks of 53 cards, wherein each deck of cards includes a standard four suits and a Joker; b. each player placing a bet; c. dealing four cards to each player; d. dealing four cards to the banker; e. setting each of hand, into a two card top hand and a two card bottom hand; f. ranking the hands with paired sets higher than unpaired sets, further comprising the step of assigning the banker a copy win advantage, wherein the banker wins if the cards are the same ignoring suit; g. ranking paired sets in the following order from highest to lowest: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, 6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2; h. ranking unpaired sets according to a point value, wherein the K, Q, J, T have a point value of zero and the Ace has a point value of one; i. assigning a kicker value to rank sets having equivalent point values wherein cards have a kicker value wherein the kicker value is ranked in the following order from highest to lowest of at least the following cards: A, K, Q, J; j. comparing a top set of each player to the top set of the banker and comparing the bottom set of each player to the bottom set of the banker; k. determining a winner of the top set, or a push of the top set, and determining a winner of the bottom set, or a push of the bottom set; l. determining a winner of the hand as between the player and the banker by comparing the number of sets won between the player and the banker, wherein a player wins if the player wins more sets than the banker, wherein the banker wins if the banker wins more sets than the player, wherein the player and banker tie if the player and banker win the same number of sets; m. settling the bet between the banker and the player; and n. providing one or more standard decks of 53 cards.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: providing the option of a bonus bet before or after the step of each player placing a bet; and further comprising the step of settling the bonus bet based upon a player's hand.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: before the step of setting the hands, offering the player an option of choosing either a first option of surrendering the hand for a return of a portion of the bet, or a second option of exchanging one of the cards in their hand for another randomly dealt card.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of shuffling one or more standard decks of 53 cards uses eight decks.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: setting the banker hand according to a House Way means.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: assigning a wild value to a Joker, wherein a Joker recipient can be assign any value to the Joker.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of: providing the option of a bonus bet before or after the step of each player placing a bet; and further comprising the step of settling the bonus bet based upon a player's hand.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of shuffling one or more standard decks of 53 cards uses eight decks.
 9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of: setting the banker hand according to a House Way means.
 10. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of: before the step of setting the hands, offering the player an option of choosing either a first option of surrendering the hand for a return of a portion of the bet, or a second option of exchanging one of the cards in their hand for another randomly dealt card.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of shuffling one or more standard decks of 53 cards uses eight decks.
 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: setting the banker hand according to a House Way means.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of: providing the option of a bonus bet before or after the step of each player placing a bet; and further comprising the step of settling the bonus bet based upon a player's hand.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of shuffling one or more standard decks of 53 cards uses eight decks.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of: setting the banker hand according to a House Way means.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of assigning a kicker value further includes the step of assigning a kicker value in the following order from highest to lowest of at least the following cards: A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,
 3. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning a kicker value further includes the step of assigning a kicker value in the following order from highest to lowest of at least the following cards: A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,
 3. 